coverage with jay inslee in new hampshire. senator kirsten gillibrand was in iowa this is weekend after announcing the formation of a exploratory committee. she was asked about gun control, climate change and student debt, among other topics. >> can i get a quick picture?

>> perfect. [applause] all right. have some patience. reporter: when you come back to us is something fairly

different. another extreme. works cited listen to your ideas and what you have to offer. we hope that you like to hear from us also. when president obama had his first caucus here, i remember hearing the first time that alliance -- islands like to kick the tires and look under the hood and make sure they have the best candidate. i hope you don't take anything personally. we are happy to have you here and we're so looking forward to a respectful and progressive and honest administration in two years. a little bit about the senator. she is an attorney and serving as the junior united states senator from new york since january of 2009. she is known for working to improve the handling of sexual assault cases in the military. don't ask don't

tell policy in the military and she's also known for a work in transparency for government. please join me in welcoming senator kiersten gillibrand. [applause] senator gillibrand: so, i am so excited to be here. i'm also excited to hear from you. i hope we can have a q&a afterward. i want to thank our amazing county chair for being awesome and doing so much for democrats. [applause] senator gillibrand: and i want to thank all of you. i think iowans -- i think the fact you sent two new members of

congress to washington to take back the house matters, so thank you for working so hard. i think we can do it again and actually win. [applause] senator gillibrand: i don't know janie well but i am jealous. i will be acquiring one so i can have one here for your fair. and everything else that's fun to do in the summer. i'm going to run for president because i really believe that i will fight for your children as hard as i fight for my own. and because i believe that so deeply, it's why i care about health care is a right not a privilege. it's why i believe we should have better public schools, better access to college no matter what block you groupon. -- block you grew up on. i think the student debt crisis is an outrage. it's stifling the ability from someone to start a business or start a family or buy a home. we have to make higher education skills training far more accessible than it is. it has to be able to lead to a real job that has opportunities for the future. so you can continue in the middle class. i believe this country was founded on the notion that if you're willing to work hard and never give up, you should be able to earn a living, provide

for your family, and earn your way to the middle class. that is what the middle's -- the american dream has always been about and that's what has been lost. to get any of this done, you have to recognize what is stopping us. this is the part that everyone has to recognize. there's so much corruption in washington. we no longer have a direct democracy. we need open government. and what open government means is you're willing to take on a special interests that decide everything. the laws, special interests are -- the laws, bills are written in the dead of night by people with all the power. there are so many systems of power in this country that control everything. it's why health care is not a right and is a privilege still in this country. ask democrats to take on the insurance industry and make sure that you can have direct access to health care like medicare for all, you're not going to get there.

if you're not willing to take on the drug companies, you will never end the opioid crisis. if you're a senior, you will never have drugs cheaper than medicare. because the dead of night folks, they put the bills in. it says medicare can negotiate for cheaper prices. it's the law. -- can't negotiate for cheaper prices. it's the law. we don't get to buy in bulk. we don't get affordable medicine. if you're unwilling to take on the nra, we will never end gun violence in this country. because everything they do is about corporate greed. it's actually about making sure manufacturers can make more money selling automatic weapons to teenagers in a walmart. that's not right. that has nothing to do with the second amendment and nothing to do with hunter's rights. it has everything to do with corporate greed and profits. so if you don't name it and if you don't see it, you cannot return the power of this democracy to the people. you cannot have a direct democracy and you cannot have open government.

and that is what's getting in the way. it's nothing else. it's complicit pop politicians -- complicit politicians who only do the bidding of the powerful interests. they do not represent you. we have a moment right now where we have to take on our democracy. we the people have to take back this democracy. we the people have to fight for it. and if you're unwilling to fight for it, you will get what you got and what you have today is not good enough. people don't believe that they have a chance to live the american dream. after the last election, my state was red. i think yours was pretty red, too. i went to all of those red areas and asked people what's going on? what's happening? they felt so left behind. they felt like the american dream is not possible for them or their kids. they feel like no one has their back. the fact that 50% of union members voted for donald trump shows that they know we haven't fought for them.

we have to fight for workers rights and reward work in this country again. what does that mean? it means sticking up for people to be able to unionize to have a collective bargaining. it means having a national paid leave plan so when your mom is sick and dying you can be by her side. when you have a new baby or sick person in your family, you can be by their side. if you don't have national paid leave, you you can't actually earn your full potential. it's an impediment for people to be able, for families to be able to succeed. it means making sure you can earn a living and provide for your kids. so, if you're working two jobs and making minimum wage, but you can't get enough hours, you can -- can't earn your way to the middle class. so we have to understand the basic challenges that people are facing and solve them.

and fight for them as hard as you would fight for your own children. that's why i'm running because i will fight for your children as hard as i will fight for my own. i'm a mom with young kids. it's how i see the world. every bit of discrimination that everyone feels, i imagine that happens to my child. i will not tolerate it. when people in my state come to me and say will you fight for me? i say yes i will. because that's who i am. i have never backed down from a fight. it doesn't matter if it's inconvenient. it doesn't matter if it's not politically expedient. if it's the right thing to do, i will do it. it doesn't matter if it's a small fight or big fight. if you want me to fight for you, join me. let's fight together. open the government. own this democracy. it's ours!

i'm here for you. [applause] senator gillibrand: i'll take all questions, any topic. but please say your name and who you are. >> i'm a sophomore at iowa state. you are my home state senator. it's nice to finally meet you. >> hudson valley. >> so on day one, if you have a democratic house and democratic senate, what can you do on gun control through congress? senator gillibrand: well, i think the first thing you have to do is bring people together about what we share in common. i can promise you if you ask the american people, no matter where they live, if they think we should have universal background checked so people who are mentally ill or have violent criminal -- criminal records or people on the terrorism watchlist should not have weapons, they will say yes. you need to be able to make sure

-- you talk to the one so you don't need to have military assault rifles anywhere. they say we don't need it. you need to be able to make sure the only people who have access to those assault weapons or the -- are the military. because they're so highly trained. so ban the assault rifles, ban the large magazine clips. and gun trafficking. it's not an issue for here business you for states and cities where the murder rate is so high because what happens is guns come from other places where there aren't good laws and they are trafficked by criminals directly to the hands of criminals from the back of a truck. there's no background check. there's no chance to make sure they are eligible. it just gets to gang members. you have to get rid of gun trafficking and make that a federal crime. i wrote that bill. that's a bill that i wrote. those are the three basic things i would do. of course you should be of van

bump stocks, simple things like that. we should of been able to do that by now. but have the strength and courage to take on the nra because they don't have what we have. [applause] bestey don't have our interest in mind. the only have the greed of the manufacturers is not good enough. i believe you talk to people about what matters, they will be with you. >> thank you. >> you're welcome. go ahead. think your youngest is about year younger than mine. a lot of what you said really hit home about education and need two things to help the state because it's kind of depressing at this point. one of my biggest concerns for his future is climate change. and our air quality.

iowa has over 400 impaired waterways. there are places here and in michigan the don't have clean water. do you have a plan to address that? >> i sure do. i heard 50% is polluted? >> over 750 waterways. >> it's pretty bad and we have similar problems in my state. the county i live in, we have pf away in our water. who have families wanted has been polluted by manufacturers of plastics and other chemicals area and their children have higher levels of then is 100f oa times of normal. it's so frightening for these moms and dads because they don't know how to protect their kids. one thing i think is common ground is always want to protect our children. all of us, no matter where you live. red or blue, everyone wants to make sure our children can drink

safe water and the air they breathe while cause asthma attacks. there are so many highways that the pollution and toxins is get absorbed by these kids and they miss school. and the teachers don't have advocates on site. and they will die of asthma attacks. we have to understand the clean water and clean-air is a priority. understandhave to the consequences stepping away from the world stage on global climate change is a life-threatening decision. it is going to result in more people dying. president trump doesn't have the courage to stand up to the special interests and get things done. he doesn't stand up to pidgeon, he doesn't stand up to anybody.

so what we sing around the country's tomorrow is no lives. severe weather has caused by the warming of the sea. by sealevel rise. that's the science of it. it's just a fact, it's not up for debate. happened in my state? massive flooding. superstorm sandy flooded upstate new york. inropical storm flooded agricultural valley destroyed all the crops. the whole season. ground, when the ground is flooded, the oil and from all thet leak stuff, their tanks, their oil tanks, it spreads all over the crops and poisons the ground.

and you have to clean it. just talk about life-and-death. superstorm sandy, when the sea level rose by 10 feet, mom got stuck in her car with her two little boys. the water took them. we lost them. i talked to people in california, in towns where fire came so fast they couldn't get out, people lost their lives in their home and their community. people understand that. no matter where you live, there's always been to be an impact on you. on your ability to protect people, your ability to make a living, your ability to have a safe community and it will be harsh. there's not can be enough money in the world do all the recovery we need to make communities hold. if we don't address global climate change, we are creating a horror for this country in the world or we are leaving it to

our kids. and our grandkids. it's got to be a moral issue. why we have to reduce carbon. that's why we do all the things about climate change. to inspire innovation. seriously, wee it can say in the next 10 years, we will innovate our energy resources so that we are green economy. the fact we still have to get oil from the middle east is outrageous. it hurts our foreign policy that we are beholden on some level. it does not work for us. we should take it as an opportunity to do is right but also to do it's good. if you make a difference in all our communities. [applause] >> i have a question for you.

[indiscernible] about concerned apparently over 30% of the american population denies may be willfully blind to a number of things is going on. one of the things i'm very concerned about this is matter of us not only stepping away for the world stage on climate but also on protection and joint protection of europe. i'm very concerned. i'm concerned about world war iii.

i see the conditions that led up to world war iii -- one or two and i'm seeing them again. -- world war ii and i'm seeing them again. the first question to mean sound like, how do we bring people together to understand this is an urgent crisis for our country. it's not about red places or blue places comments about human issue. the first thing to do when you're trying to convince somebody about what you care deeply about is listen. you have to listen and find out why don't you believe it. where you hesitating? why do you think reed green economy is a bad thing? listen and find out what it is. whatever they say to you, talk about how you see it differently. bring them along by explaining the science, by explaining how climate change is effected their industry. if you talk to a farmer, they would tell you everything changed. they can see it because they live in the world.

they understand how it's affected everything in the world. you will find some common ground. from there, you build a consensus you need. that's possible, you just need someone in the white house who speaks truth. this president does not speak truth. elias was everyday. elias the american people and a great sphere. the division, the hate, the fear , he's created across the whole country. it's heartbreaking. i met with a woman who was a republican yesterday. i said you might if i talked you? she said yes. what you care about? i care about the border. why? because of afraid. i'm afraid of crime, i'm afraid of terrorism. the present creed that fear in her. but that fear is real and you have to address it. maybe some people's fear of a global climate change is that

they are afraid jobs to be lost or were the economy. maybe they are afraid that tree huggers get to make all decisions and therefore things that need to be done will be done. we will explain to them that it's not true and it's the greatest economic opportunity of our generation. it literally is. america is the best place in the world to make things. we are best inventors, the best interest -- entrepreneurs. we invent things always have. we decide not to have the tax benefits of people can focus on when then solar and geothermal and biofuels, all the renewable energy is possible, what happened? we stepped away from that? guess who took the lead, china. want to become a leader in manufacturing. when you make something, you get to innovate the next generation. you get ahead of the curve. we literally lost our opportunity because congress

could begin ahead. they don't understand you can't pass tax cuts three months late because a whole business is just decided, we can make money here. canvas anymore. i would address the fear and find out what it is and explain that fear that someone told you that to make you afraid. it's not true. speak truth in all things. your second question, nato. you're worried about world war iii. you're worried about a national security. worried about stepping away from our allies in the world. hear those words. we have since away from her allies in the world. we actually stepped away from the national leadership. in president trump said i went deal,p way from the ran that's huge problem. it's a huge problem.

it was a deal to present obama put in place is in the world community at his back. we've got this, were going to work together to make sure this country does not acquire nuclear weapons because of they do, every other country in the middle east acquires nuclear weapons. when every country in the middle east has weapons, what is in the risk is? world war iii. that's the problem. you have to understand, being a leader in the world means fighting for what is right. doing let's write to protect all of us. and that's what he refuses to do. next president must reclaim the mantle. be a leader on the world stage. bring people together for global security. do the right things that are necessary when their hard. especially when they are hard. those are fights i will not back down from. [applause] be calling onould

people because i want to play favorites. >> i man, i teach high school government to seniors. every year, concern for my in high school is going off to college and getting into debt. is it worth it for their futures? for are your plans education, college tuition, how can i help reassure them that their future will be ok if they jump into college and take on that debt? is notr concern unfounded. there are so many students across america and graduates who had so much student debt that they can start businesses. they can't buy houses. that's the fact. at on the college should cause the kind of money. i really don't believe it. i don't think we need degrees that cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. people can get a great education at many places. we have to make access to college something and access to

higher education something that's a real right. that means providing better job training in lots of ways for people who want lots of different careers. need more investment in committee colleges, we need more investments in state schools. andeed more job training student to job training. let me explain. what happened in my state is we to use our 20 colleges effectively. one of our schools is entirely devoted to preparing business people to serve in agriculture. margins are small for farmers in our state. it's hard to make a living as a dairy farmer. it's hard to make a living as a specialty crop farmer. you need the best people in the world. in our state school focused on green energy and the

green jobs economy. last some of visited, they said they were having kids by led certified homes. to install energy-efficient appliances. anything in the sector, 90% of their seniors at more than three job offers. if that was true, that shocking. that is what is possible. a company in the north country needed a vast waters. they can find anybody to take those jobs. so they would to communicate with us and said if you offer this course work, we will hire was graduates and it's a $70,000 your job. job training needs to be linked. you have to give more opportunities to people to get a real job with the higher education they are receiving. when youore parents work with local employers say, this is the corporation is necessary to train these future

workers. , thatcreate that synergy matters. underemployment is really important. people underemployed or unemployed need access to job training to get that taken care of. an not-for-profit -- a not-for-profit in the bronx does job training for computer fixing, computer building, cyber coding, all of it. they have already trained and placed in real jobs it hundred students. they provide that education for free. his lot of ideas out there how to do it. formost immediate solution the people laden with debt, i would refinance all federal debt at 4%. automatically. [applause] put $50 million right

back into the economy. >> one more question. one more. >> the conservative party did a that job in making sure they got the judicial branch. many sold their soul and sold their spirit so that they knew they would not lose. i haven't heard to talk about the judicial branch. what would you do and make sure all other candidates due to talk about that? all these wonderful evangelical groups basically cut a deal with youp saying he will support basically elect

the next federal judge. what you think positively, practically about what you would do encourage all the other democrats to do? you have a unique opportunity to do that. side is our successful. discussion is an important one. not all americans understand how the coursework. i think we can it's have to do is explain the elections really do have consequences. but the greatest consequences of our present elections they could choose justices area and the justices are lifetime appointments and every issue you care about is decided at the supreme court level. if you're most invest in clean air and clean water, they decide to read you care about reproductive freedom, they decide. you care about voting rights and equal rights, they decide. i was fixing her hard to every

voter. anyone who cares about the future and about what they care them,and point out to that is decided the courts. we as americans have to find more and more. we have to win elections, we have to keep the majority in the house of representatives and thank you for electing to new island women. [applause] wan women. [applause] >> we have to keep our majority the house, with the flip u.s. senate. there are a lot of seats that are open to that we can compete in. if we do the things, [indiscernible] . one of the worst things president trump is not as he is taken on the tenants of our democracy. he is trying to undermine the independence of the judiciary by calling out judges and try to demonize judges. never before in our history have

we had a president is trying to demonize an entire branch of government, particularly the judicial branch. he's also try to undermine free speech. he demonizees has the free press? your job is actually to make the truth told. he's literally trying to unwind the basic structure of what keeps his country strong. three cut -- branches of government that provide oversight and accountability over each other. it's a moment where america must fight for our democracy, perhaps harder than we've ever fought in our entire lives. because if we don't, there's judges and urging president trump is trying to they will take away our fundamental civil rights. as a woman, i need to decide what my happens to my family and my body. i have a civil right to make that decision. and he does not believe it. [applause]

>> i want to thank this senator for coming and make an announcement. our soup supper is going to be held on february 23. one of our featured speakers will be -- [cheers and applause] he said he is going to have a press release on wednesday about what his plans are, so everybody please watch that. we are very excited. we will also be having our on your caucus. our party runs on volunteers. we need people to come to the odd here caucus. i hope that you all can come to that. that is all it wanted to say. >> i wanted to say thank you for turning out. i'm not a national name, so the fact that you turned out to meet me is a blessing from my heart and i'm very grateful. only thatare that not

you caucus, but you show up to ask tough questions. it is what makes our democracy great and i'm grateful to all of you for taking time to meet me. i plan on being here a lot, so i really appreciate this first opportunity. [applause] [general chatter]

>> fighting for your kids and grandkids. and my own.

[indiscernible general chatter] should beink people left behind and pushed out of the conversation. if you don't come you can't do the things that you do. [general chatter]

>> c-span. where history unfolds daily. c-span was created as a public service by america's cable television company. today, we continue to bring you unfiltered coverage. the white house, the supreme court, and public policy events around the country. c-span is brought to you by your cable or satellite provider. days since the33 partial government shutdown began. members also vote on another that would fund the government agencies to february 28.

neither include funding for the border wall proposal. there is now an agreement in the senate between mitch mcconnell and chuck schumer. those votes set for thursday at 2:30 p.m. eastern and require the support of 60 senators to advance. joining us is stephen dennis. senate reporter from bloomberg. what did mitch mcconnell and chuck schumer agreed to? they agree to hold votes on competing plans